A/N: Thanks for the reviews, I love you guys! And I figured now would be a good time to remind everyone that sadly, I don't own anyone in this story. I would love to though, and if you know of a way I could own them for the $80 I have saved right now, please let me know.

Part 15
It didn't take long for Trish and Stacy to wear out, and only twenty minutes later, Dave was pulling into the hotel lot. Though he was sure it wouldn't have mattered to them, he was eternally grateful that neither Randy nor Stacy saw the kiss Trish laid on him. He was also grateful they rode in separate cars, as he was sure he would not be able to keep his mouth shut. After finding a parking space close to the door, he wheeled the car in and pulled the keys from the ignition.

From the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Randy leading a still very tipsy Stacy into the hotel lobby. With a heavy exhale, he shifted in his seat, eyeing the sleeping beauty beside him. Trish had passed out only minutes after leaving the club – yet another thing for which Dave was grateful.

He wondered if Trish would even remember what happened when she woke up. He wondered if she would remember pressing her body into his. He wondered if she would remember how thick the sexual tension between them grew to be. He wondered if she'd remember their intense stare down… and their even more intense kiss…

Just thinking about what happened made him hot. Her kiss had been even more mind-blowing then he hoped for, and it was only a kiss. What would it have felt like to…

With a shake of his head, Dave jostled the perverted thoughts from his mind. He had to stop fantasizing about this. Despite the crippling physical attraction he felt towards her, Trish was one of his best and – at the moment, only – friends. He couldn't let the fact that he wanted to touch her more than any woman he'd ever met interfere with their friendship.

"Trish," he said when his body calmed down.

He reached across the car and gave her a gentle nudge, trying to wake her up. Trish let out an inaudible groan, shifting slightly. She raised her head about an inch, only to drop it back onto the headrest. She turned her head away from him, and he frowned.

Dave sat in silence for the next few minutes, occasionally poking her in the ribs in hopes that she would awaken. No such luck. After another minute of tapping his fingers on the steering wheel, he gave up. He stuffed the keys into the pocket of his slacks and threw his door open. After quietly pressing his door shut, he made his way around the car and opened hers. He leaned in the passenger side and hovered over her, doing his best to ignore her delicious scent as he unhooked her seatbelt. He effortlessly lifted her body out of the vehicle, using his shoe to shut the door.

Cradling her head between his bicep and collarbone, he carried Trish into the hotel lobby. He tossed a nervous glance around the lobby, which luckily was near empty. It was late even by Hunter and Ric's standards, which Dave hoped eliminated any chances of running into them while he dropped Trish off at her room.

He carefully slid between the elevator doors and pressed the button for their floor. Resting his back against the wall, he closed his eyes. He sighed, and then reopened them, glancing down at the woman in his arms. She was so still… if she wasn't breathing steadily he would have worried.

"Shit," he mumbled as he realized he left her purse in the car. Now he couldn't get in her room.

His arms started to grow weary, and he wasn't sure he could make it all the way back to the car. The elevator doors swung open, and Trish slipped from his grasp. It was only a second before he scooped her in his arms again, but it negated any thoughts of him retrieving her room key. He heaved a sigh and stepped out in the direction opposite her room, heading to his. When he reached the door, he balanced her weight in one arm, fumbling in his pocket for the key with the other.

A few moments later, he stumbled into the room with her, marching straight back to the bedroom. He placed her down on the mattress gently, and then took a step back. He watched over her silently as he contemplated what to do. He could go back down to his car and get her purse, and then carry her back to her room. The more he watched her, though, the worse that idea seemed. She looked so peaceful in her sleep, and he knew he couldn't bear to wake her.

Dave yawned, stretching his arms out as he turned for the closet. He didn't want to disturb her by sending her back to her room. He'd just have to sleep on the couch. He already knew he wouldn't be able to handle sharing the bed with her, not after what happened.

He grabbed the blanket from the top shelf of the closet, tucking it under his arm. He came back to the bed, silently pulling her shoes off and pulling the covers over her body. He leaned down and placed a tender kiss on her cheek.

"Sweet dreams, woman."


Despite the fact that she had probably consumed more alcohol in one night that she had in all her previous 29 years, Trish never felt more alert. Her eyes popped open at 9:15 the next morning, and though hungover, she was completely coherent. Coherent, and in a panic.

Her first thought was that they had sex. Though she was in another world at the time, she vividly remembered kissing Dave, and the sensations she received doing so. She quickly expelled the thought. She knew her body well enough to know that nothing serious happened. The fact that she had awoken fully clothed only further negated her suspicion.

She cocked her head to the side, examining the unoccupied space next to her. The pillow was still fluffed, and the sheets still pressed. She had obviously slept alone. But the large Rolex on the nightstand told her that she was definitely in Dave's room. She had to figure out what happened. She blacked out the second she sat in Dave's car.

Trish rose on the mattress, ignoring her pounding headache as she tossed a confused gaze around the room. She was almost afraid to find Dave. She hadn't the slightest clue of what he would think of her kissing him. He certainly responded favorably, but what if he had acted on impulse like she had? What if he forgot about it already?

Trish was surprised to find herself sincerely hoping that was not the case. Maybe it was the fact that Dave was the first man in a long while to befriend her without trying to sleep with her, or the fact that he was willing to give her a number of chances to form a bond with him. Maybe it was because he wouldn't give up on her no matter how hard she tried to push him away.

Whatever it was, Trish found herself more than a little attracted to him. In a strange way, it reminded her of how things were with Chris Jericho in the beginning. When a man was so kind to her, she found it hard not to fall for them.

But could she really have fallen for Dave?

She had never experienced these feelings toward him till right now, but there was no way she could deny their strength. Maybe she had felt this way all along. Maybe she needed the alcohol and the resulting kiss to force her feelings out.

Trish sighed, raking her nails through her mussed blonde tresses. All these 'maybes' were getting on her nerves. Finally, she swung her legs off the side of the bed, stomping her feet down on the floor. She eyed the bedroom door pensively, wondering if she should hunt him down. After a short mental debate, she stood and headed for the door. She had to know what was going on in his head.

She pulled the door open and scanned the rest of the room. She found Dave a moment later, still in his clothes from the night before, standing in the kitchen area. She approached him, but his back was to her, and Trish noticed that he was on his cell phone. She stopped short of him, sliding back against the wall and out of his visual range. She peered out at him, frowning as a heavy sigh emanated from his lips.

"I just don't know, man," he voiced into the phone with frustration.

He paused, rubbing a stressed hand over the top of his head. Trish could heave a voice talking from the other line, but she couldn't make out who it belonged to.

"I said I don't know… no, she kissed me… yes, she did. I don't know what to make of it… well, how do I know what she was thinking? – She was trashed… I had to carry her into the hotel… yeah, seriously."

Trish bit her lip, a nervous feeling filling her stomach. From the speech he was giving, Dave didn't seem thrilled in the least about the kiss. Suddenly she felt extremely awkward standing in his room. With a frown etched on her disappointed face, she waiting for him to start speaking again. Then she quietly crept out of the room, pulling the door shut behind her.


"Was she at least a good kisser?"

Dave groaned at the question, smacking his forehead. Randy hadn't changed one bit – always wanting the juicy details, no matter how serious the dilemma. But at the moment, he didn't trust anyone else with the secret, and he needed to talk to someone.

"I would think with the way you get around, you'd know personally," Dave griped, pulling a chair out from the table and plopping down on it.

"Not like I haven't tried," Randy teased, a hint of amusement in his otherwise tired voice. When Dave simply huffed, he sighed. "Oh, come on, I'm just kidding. Just trying to lighten the mood."

Randy had to admit that he was surprised to get Dave's phone call that morning. But he was not at all surprised to hear that he and Trish had kissed. From what Stacy told him about them, he suspected it wouldn't be long before the pair hooked up.

"You're not helping, Orton," Dave warned. He buried his face in his free hand, sighing again.

"Well, I'm not sure what you're expecting from me," Randy told him. "You know what your feelings are, and you know how to find hers out."

Dave nodded. He had known that all along, he just needed to hear it from someone else. He had to get over his anxiousness and talk to Trish.

"Yeah, yeah," he gave in, tossing his head back. "Alright, thanks Ran."

"Anytime, Big Man," came the response, and the line went dead.

Dave remained still for another minute, gathering his composure. He took a few deep breaths as he stood from the table. A focused look filled his eyes as he marched over to the bedroom. His brow rose curiously as he saw that the door he had closed the night before was open.

He walked into the room, his expression confused. She wasn't in the bed. He walked over to the bathroom and peeked in… no Trish. A frown hit his face as he realized what was happening. She was gone.